The invention relates in general to conveyors and in particular to a new and useful conveyor trough, particularly for scraper chain conveyors, comprising trough lengths which are provided with connecting elements in the abutting zones of their side walls, and with overlapping bottom plates.
There are known conveyor troughs in which the bottom plates of consecutive trough lengths butt against each other without any overlap. Other known designs provide overlapping of the bottom plates along the entire width of the trough. A simple overlap, however, is generally not capable of taking up the stresses occurring in the butt joint and transferring them to the conveyor strand. To this end, connecting elements are rather provided which are usually designed as lugs, bolts or screws. Frequently, the side walls of the trough are even equipped with brackets by which the stresses occurring in the butt joints are absorbed, since conventional lug or screw connections alone often are unsuitable for this purpose. This also applies to connections for troughs requiring double bottom plates, with a connecting plate at the end of one of the trough lengths to be assembled, which connecting plate projects beyond the end edge and is pivotable lengthwise and sidewise and is provided with connecting extensions in the shape of eyes or lugs permitting connecting the plate to the supporting structure of the next trough length. These connecting elements are fitted from the outside into the recessed portions of the side walls of the trough and have aligned bores for connecting screws (see German AS 1024880).